Tradition? Yeah, Scott Snyder knows a little bit about that.

Success? He's familiar with that, too.Snyder was a part of Northern Lehigh's stacked 2005 PIAA Class 2A Dual Meet Championship team, and ended his wrestling career with 112 victories, which included a 45-1 mark and a state runner-up finish during his senior season.Now, Snyder will chart a new course - as the Bulldogs' head coach."It feels good to be given the opportunity to continue to play a role in a program that has given so much to me throughout my life," Snyder said. "I would like to say it isn't much different from being an assistant, but I didn't realize the amount of little things that go into managing a team."Thankfully, I am surrounded by a great staff, who has been taking this transition on together as a unit, and making it much easier on me. (Assistant) coach (Nick) Hosford and I have made just about every decision together regarding the varsity team since I was named head coach."Snyder took over prior to this season as Northern Lehigh's mentor when previous head coach Steve Hluschak accepted a position as the athletic director at Stroudsburg High School.SETTLING INAfter serving as a paid assistant for several seasons, Snyder acknowledged he has leaned on Hluschak as he begins his first year as the Bulldogs' head coach.I have talked to Stevie quite a bit since he left," Snyder said of Hluschak. "I coached under him for a few years, so I am not afraid to seek his advice."He also likes to frequently check in on the team. I can't imagine taking another job was an easy thing for him to do after playing a huge part in this program again for a few years."Hluschak isn't the only one Snyder goes to for advice, as the 29-year-old looks to assistants Hosford, Adam Hlushak, Kyle Bauman, along with middle school coaches Junior Ortiz and Ryan Kern, for guidance."There is no doubt that I have leaned on my assistant, Nick Hosford the most in my first season," Snyder said of Hosford, who was also on the state championship team in 2005. "Like I said previously, there haven't been many decisions we didn't make together. We are family who grew up together, wrestled, played football, went to high school, college, and now coach together. It isn't hard for me to lean on him."Snyder's familiarity with the program has certainly helped his transition."Being that I had been an assistant at Northern Lehigh for a few seasons leading up to the transition, the first practice and meeting with the kids went rather smoothly," he said. "We had already established a relationship over the previous few seasons, so they knew what to expect throughout practice and knew my expectations as a coach."But it hasn't always been easy."I do have to admit my verbal communication with the kids was a little off at first," Snyder commented. "I got a little tongue-tied a few times when talking to them. It must have been the nerves getting to me. I guess I thought I would give one of those perfect coach speeches like you see in the movies the first time I talked to them, but unfortunately, it didn't work that way. I still haven't given that speech."LEGACYThe opportunity to lead his alma mater, one that has often been a perennial powerhouse, is something Snyder doesn't take for granted."I think the community has to respect the fact that we are trying to keep our coaching staff within the school district. I think it allows for better relationships between wrestlers, parents, and coaches when most people are at least a little familiar with one another," Snyder commented. "Me and the rest of our staff at the varsity and middle school level have all wrestled for Northern Lehigh, so we know how we want things to be done, and the expectations we have as coaches going forward."Continuing tradition is something that is very important to our staff. I hope that pride in continuing tradition can also spread to the kids. We are sure to experience some growing pains, but I think if we can keep these guys motivated and on the same page, we will be on the rise again in the next few years."With a few months under his belt, Snyder has crafted his own expectations for the program going forward."On the team level, I would like to see us sneak in to the district duals and surprise some people at the end of the dual meet season," he said. "On the individual level, I would like to see some of our younger guys improve throughout the season, and earn themselves some more wins and confidence. I would like our experienced guys to earn some hardware at the district, regional, and state level."I think we have a few individuals capable of doing so. We have a good group of kids who are going to be willing to put the time in moving forward, so if we can give ourselves something to build on this season, we will develop some higher expectations for the future."*****OFF THE MAT ... Several Times News area wrestlers were recognized in Off The Mat's first issue of Class AA state rankings. Northern Lehigh's Ryan Farber led the way with a second-place ranking at 160 pounds, while Northwestern's Caleb Clymer came in at No. 8. Northwestern's Baily Wehr (120) and Palmerton's Jared Mooney (195) were both ranked fifth in their respective weight classes. Tamaqua's Tanner McHugh was ranked sixth at 138 pounds. There were no Times News area teams in the top-25 dual meet poll, though District 11 was represented with Saucon Valley ranked third.*****WHAT'S ON TAP? ... Lehighton and Palmerton will both be competing in tournaments this weekend. The Indians will host their annual dual event, while the Blue Bombers are scheduled to travel to Souderton High School for the Big Red Duals. Allentown Central Catholic, Central Bucks South, East Stroudsburg North, Notre Dame Green Pond, Schuylkill Haven, Springfield (Delco) and William Allen will be competing at Lehighton, and wrestling will begin at 8 a.m.*****WHERE THEY STAND ... As of Wednesday night, Northwestern (5-3) and Lehighton (6-3) were fourth and sixth, respectively, in the District 11 Class AA team power rankings. Panther Valley (7-5) wasn't far behind in eighth. Palmerton (6-9) slotted into the 13th spot. Northern Lehigh (2-7) was 15th, Jim Thorpe (1-6) 18th and Tamaqua (0-9) 19th. In the Class AAA power rankings, Pleasant Valley (1-9) was 20th. Saucon Valley (9-0) and Nazareth (7-0) were the top AA and AAA teams, respectively. Northampton (9-1) slid from first to second in the 3A standings after a 45-22 loss to Bethlehem Catholic (6-0) Wednesday night. The Golden Hawks are currently third in the 3A poll.